Corner unit for counters



Jan-9, 1923. 1,441,331

, J. R. CLARK CORNER UNIT FOR COUNTERS.

FILED FEB. 8. 1922. 2 SHEETS'SHEET I Jan;9, 1923, 1,441,331

J. R. CLARK. CORNER UNIT FOR COUNTERS.

FILED FEB. 8. 1922. 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented Jan. 9, 1923 JAMES R. Green, or aocr-rnsrna, NE YORK, assrenoa 'ro YAWMAN & Ensure-re. '00., or nocrrnsrnrv, new YORK, A CORPORATION oriunw YORK..

' Cor nna UNIT ron ooun'rsns.

Application filed February 8, 1922. Serial No. 534,841.

To aZZ whom it mayconcern) Be it known that L-Jarrns R. CLARK, a

citizen of theUnited States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and 5 State of New York, have invented a certain new and .useful Improvement in Corner Units for Counters, of which the following is a. full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompany- .ing drawings, forming a part of this specification. 3 v 1 My invention relates to counters, especiallythose counters composed of file cabinet units and thelike, placed in rows, and commonly known to the trade as counterheight cabinets;

. One object of my inventionis the provision of a' corner unit. which preserves the continuity of the counters, where portions of theicounters are ofiset or angularly disposed relatively to other portions. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a slightlytruncated sector-shaped corner unit (which might be referred to as a dummy unit as it contains no shelves or drawers) in whichthe radial sides of the sector lie at an angle of 45. When thus Y constructed, two of these corner units may be placed together to form a 90 corner in the counter, or a single corner unit may be used to give a bend to the counter which would be desirable in following irregularipti'es inthe, walls of rooms, or to, connect offset portions of the counter.

Otherobjects and features of my-invention will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment of my invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a counter such as above referred to, and which shows the corner units applied in severa]. of the many positions which they may occupy;

Figure 2 is front elevation of the plan shown in Figure 1.;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one of the corner units, the lower corner of which is" broken away revealing a section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 4;

Figure 4c is a horizontal plan section taken substantially on the line 1-4: ofFigure' 3, and v 4 f I i Figure '5 is a transverse section taken on are disposed at an angle of c before-mentioned apex.

Similar characters of reference refer, to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Figure 1,1 have illustrated diagrammatically a typical layout-of a counter made up 'of a pli'irality of cabinet units 10, Whicha're:

. arranged side by side to form rows, the tops of which, cabinets form a continuous plane surface or counter.- At-ll I have lllustrated such cabinet rows approaching each other -at a right angle, there being two: cornerunits 12 placed with their inner lateral or angled sides 13in abutting relation, forming virtually a 90 corner unit, the outer sides 13 abutting the sides of adjacent cabinet units 10. I i

At 14 I have illustrated the counter as being disposed at an angle of 45 to the ad- 'jacent cabinet line, and'a single corner unit 12 placed in the thus formed angle withits sides 13 abutting the sidesof adjacent cabi- 'net units 10; At 15 I have illustrated a corner, the exact reverse of that shownat 14,

-whereb'y the counter is again'returned to a position parallel to that portion between corners 11 and 14. It will be noted that at 14" the major exposed vertical wall of the cabinet faces within the enclosure formed by the counter, while at corner 15this wall faces without the enclosure (i. e., on the customers side).

, V At corners 1616 I have illustrated bends 'verysiinilar to that at corner 15, except that the two corners 16, together with the cabinet I units therebetween, serve substantially the saine'function as the two juxtaposed corner units at corner 11. t

'Referrmg' more particularly to Figures 3,

'4:- and 5, the corner unit designated as a whole by reference numeral 12 comprises the lateral sides 13-13 which, as before stated,

These sides 1-3-13 do not' extend to an apex, but are truncated a short distance from such apex by a third vertical side 17, which. is here shown as being concave arc'uately with the' oo apex as acenter. The fourth vertical side 18 of the corner unit extends betweenthe outer edges of the sides 13-1-3, the wall being convex as described by-an are about the The third vertical side 171for1n's part of an apex member 19, whichis constructedof sheet'rneta-l, thevertialfianges 20'20 of whichliei-n the planes of the lateral sides 131-13. Each of; these fianges-2020, warts more clearly-um,

derstood later in this description, constitutes one of-the verticalrails of a frame constitut- 111g one. of the sides 13. The free lateral edges 21 of the flanges are provided with a flanged offset, as shown in Figure 4, which adds rigidity to the rail or flange 20, as well as giving it a pleasing appearance.

The side 18 comprises an outer wall mem ber 23 and an inner member 24, there being a sheet 25 of non-combustible material, such as asbestos, placed in the space between said inner and outer members. At the corners of the unit where the side 18 meets the lateral sides 13- 13, the walls 23 and 2e are respectively provided with flanges 26 and 27 which lie in planes parallel to the sides 13-13. Similarly, the insulating sheet 25 is provided with flanges 28-28 which lie between the flanges 26 and 27.

At their free ends, the flanges 26-26 are.

offset toform the flanges 29-29, similar to the flanges 212l of the apex 19. As be fore intimated, the flanges 20 of the member 19, and the flanges 26 of the member 23 form the vertical rails of the frames which constitute the'w-alls of the sides 13. The top and bottom rails of this frame, indicated by 30' and31 respectively, are each welded at their ends to the vertical rails. The upper rail 30 is provided at itslower edge'with an offset flange '32, while the lower rail '31 is provided at its upper edge'with a'similar flange 33. Flanges 32 and 33 are similar to the flanges 21 and 29 of the vertical rails, whereby the side frame as a wall is given rigidity and strength.

Inturned flanges 34: are provided at the bottom of all the external members of the unit apex member 19, outer wall 23, and lower rails 31. Upon these inturned flanges 34 rest the downwardly turned marginal flanges 35, of a lower bottom panel 36. A. sectoralsheet 37 of'fireproof material, such as asbestos, is laid between lower sheet 36 and an upper sheet 38. The upper sheet 38 of the bottom of the unit is held against upward movement by a plurality of angle brackets 39, secured to the bottom rails 31 and to the inner member 24 of the vertical side 18. c

The unit is provided with a top or cover men'iber 40, which carries turned marginal flanges 4.1., the latter again being flanged as indicated at 42 to fit within the upper periphery of the side wall members 23, '13 and 19. It will be noted that the margin of the top 40 does not overhang the side walls, but lies flush with them. A sheet of fireproofing material 42 is held. at the under side of the top 40 by a metal sheet 43, which is held in place by a plurality of brackets 44, secured to the several side members.

This construction affords a corner unit of considerable rigidity, and of fireproof construction at substantially all-exposed =sur downwardlyfares. The lateral walls 13-Il3, it will he noted, consist merely of the before-mentioned frame, there being no necessity for providing a panel.

As before mentioned, the cross-section of the unit does not form a complete sector, as it is slightly truncated near its apex forming the narrow wall 17. When two of these 45 units are placed in juxtaposition (as shown at corner 11 of Figure l) to form a right angle cornerin the counter, the side wall 13, adjacent the, side of one of the cabinet units, does not lie in the same plane with the rear walls of the cabinets in the adjacent counter section, but is spaced therefrom a few inches (determined by the distance back from the apex at which the corner unitis truncated). Thus, in instances where the counter-height units 10 are filing cabinets provided with drawers, the

drawers may be pulled open without danger of their lateral edges contacting'the drawer handles 10, which in most instances project beyond the plane'of the end of thel iling cabinet. I prefer to makemy corner unit with suflicient truncation so that space is provided sufliciently not only to clear the drawer handles when the drawers are in their closed'position, butso as to clear the handles should the drawers be inadvertently left pulled out aninch or so.

Having thus 9 described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: p 1. As an article'of manufacture, a corner unit comprising a top having a substantially plane surface at counter height from the bottom of said unit, a pairof lateral side walls disposed at an angle and terminating a distance from their apex, said side walls comprising a rectangular frame com posed. of vertical and horizontal, rails, and an outer wall disposed pposite said apex, portions of said wall being turned inwardly at each lateral edge to form one of said vertical rails. i

2'. As an article of manufacture,a corner unit for counters which comprises a plurality of vertical walls, two of which are disposed at an angle, a third wall of which is disposed across the adjacent edges of said two walls and comprises a vertical member having offset portions lying in the plane of said two walls, and forming a part of said two walls, and a fourth wall disposed opposite said third wall, said fourth wall comprising a vertical member having offset portions lying in the plane of said two abut the ends of said members, a third wall disposed across the ad acent inner ends oi,

and truncating the sector formed by the first mentioned two walls, this said third wall serving to space two adjacent counter members to allow clearance for the drawers of one to be withdrawn past the said projecting handles of the other, and a fourth wall which is disposed opposite said third wall and between the outer edges of said first mentioned walls.

4. A spacer forming a corner member for uniting non-aligned drawer cabinets containing drawers with projecting parts, comprising a truncated prism, the truncation of said prism so spacing said cabinets that the planes of the sides of said cabinets upon which said drawers open intersect on a line within said prism to allow the drawers of one of said cabinets in opening to clear the said projecting parts of the adjacent cabinet drawers.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 1st day of February, 1922. JAMES R. CLARK. lVitnesses:

FLORENCE SoANLoN, M. A. ZELLER. 

